Latch for mine-car doors.



No. 874,872 PATBNTED DEC. 24, 1907 I G. H. SMITH.

LATCH FOR MINE GAR DOORS. APPLICATION FILED AUG. 21, 1907.

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PATENT OFFICE.

CHRISTIAN H. SMITH, OF TRANGER, PENNSYLVANIA. I

' LATCH non MINE-CAR noons.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Dec. 24, 1907.

Application filed August 27,1907. Serial No. 390,323. 7

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHRISTIAN -H. SMITH, a citizen of the United States, residing at Tranger, in the county of 1V estmoreland and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Latch for Mine Car Doors, of which the following is a specilication.

This invention relates to a latch for application to a swinging door depending fronn horizontal pivot hinges such as are used in mine-cars.

The object of the invention is to provide a simple, durable and useful latch for minecar doors, one which will not be easily broken and is absolutely reliable under all conditions of operation.

With this and other objects in View the in vention consists in certain novel construction, combination and arran ement of parts hereinafter described and definitely claimed.-

In the accompanying drawing :Figure 1- is a rear elevation of a mine-car with the improved latch in closed position thereon. Fig.

1 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the rear end of the car on the line 2--2 of F ig. 1 with the latch mechanism in open position.

Similar numerals of reference are used for the same parts in all the figures.

The car, indicated by 1, is mounted as usual on wheels 2 and has one of its-ends closed by a (lumping door 3 of ordinary construction, but hereshown as having across bar 4 attached by loop-straps 5 to its upper edge, the ends of which bar project beyond the door and rest in bearings 6 in the sides of the car. lhe door may swing by its straps on the crossbar 4, or in the bearings 6, the crossbar in the latter case being attached to the door. -'lhe straps 5 extend on eal ch side of the door nearly to the bottom, and by means of rivets hold the several horizontal boards forming the door in position.

' The latch eonsistsinpart of a round bar 7 straight except at its lower end where it is bent laterally and. reduced in size to form a tapered finger S. The bar 7 is'mounted at an angle to the vertical on the outer side of the door in bearings 9 and 10 near each end of said bar to bring the latter close to the outer face of the door. A notch 11 is made in the under side of the door to permit the finger S to turn inwardly under the door 3.

\Volded or otherwise secured to the upper end of the latch bar are two projecting arms 12, parallel to each other and extending in a direction opposite to that of the finger 8.

Attached to the floor of the car 1 is a stop plate 15 having its outer end 16 curved upward slightly upon itself and the edge 17 of X the upturned portion inclined downwardly away from the latch bar. By this construction the corner nearest the latch bar is the highest point of the stop. The weight of the latohbar and lever suflicient to keep it in its lowest position, but to prevent it from sliding down too far, the projecting arms 12 are attached to the-latch bar in position to rest on the upper bearing 9.

When the mine-car'door is closed and its tened the hand lever 13 will be held by the keeper 14 and the linger will be across or within the curved stop 16. N 0 pressure which can be brought to hear from! within the car is capable ofswinging the door open.

When the car has reached the place for dumping, the lever-13 is raised out of the keeper and turned outwardly, this movement causing the finger 8 on the lower end of the latch rod 7 to turn inwardly, and by reason of the inclined position of the rod, up wardly. The upward movement of theiinger S raises it to such a height that when the door opens there will be an overplus of clearance between the lloor of the car and the finger. When the lever is moved to open and close the latch, the arms 12, riding on the upper bearing, prevent the latch rod 7 from dropping. If the lever should be thrown u to its highest position it would not 0 none beyond the perpendicular because of the upper projecting end of the latch rod, against which the lever would strike.

Having described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. Combined with a door, an inclined latch her having a laterally projecting tapering linger on its lower end, bearings for said bar, parallel arms on said bar above and in contact with said upper bearing, a lever pivoted between said arms and a keeper on said door for retaining the latch in closed position.

2. Combined with a swinging door, an inclined bar having a laterally projecting tapered finger on its lower end, bearings for said rod, parallel arms projecting fiorn sain rod in an opposite direozion to said finger i and resting on one of said bearings, a hand lever ivoted between said plates and having a 'mited upward movement, and a fined stop plate having curved end of said. bar being such as to cause the finger to rise when it isturned inwardly on its axis.

3. A latch for mine-car door, comprising an inclined latch bar mounted to turn in bearings on said door having a. lateral p" jection on its lower end hand lever on net 5 which said finger bears the angular position l s l l l l i I e115. and a, stop plate on the car having its oubi'v'ard end, with which said finger coniaobs, upwardly curved, the inclination of said look bar causing said. finger to move inwaml y and upwardly when said latch is loved disengage the (1001'.

in I" lony that I claim the foregoing as 111 y own, I have hereto affixed my signature Til the presence 01' two wltnesses.

CHRlSTIAN H. SMITH. 

